Carton closing machine



Dec. 13, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL 2,726,499

CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1950 19 Sheets-Sheet 1 82 mm FIG.l'

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//V VE N TORSI- PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN ww 6M ATTORNEY 3, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE l9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 23. 1950 llVVE/VTORSF PAUL FISCHER noasar s. neom CHARLES H. svmasou HENRY VIISSIIAN B) W ATTORNEY 1366- 1955 P. E. FISCHER ET AL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE l9 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 25, 1950 FIG. 4

lNVENTO/PSF PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN Dec. 13, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL 2,726,499

CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 25, 1950 19 Sheets-Sheet 4 k I 72 I m/vz/vrofis'x- PAUL E. FISCHER V ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON E HENRY E. WISSMAN MM ATTORIIY 3, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL 2,726,499

CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1950 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S.HEDIN 7 CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN 4/ W 266 260 258 5) w Arron/15y l9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Dec. 23. 1950 o FIG. :1

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CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1950 19 Sheets-Sheet 7 IN VE N 70195 PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN ATTORNEY P. E. FISCHER ET AL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Dec. 13, 1955 19 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Dec. 23, 1950 //VVENTOR$.'-

PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN Dec. 13, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE 19 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Dec. 25, 1950 PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN gydflflwdw ATTORNEY Dec. 13, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE 19 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Dec. 23, 1950 JNVENTORSI- PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN 1955 P, E. FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE l9 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed Dec. 23, 1950 /NVEN7'0R$.'-

PAUL nscnsn ROBERT s. nzom CHARLES H. swmsou HENRY E. WISSUAN gy/dfimw 1955 P, E. FISCHER ETAL 2,726,499

CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 25. 1950 19 Sheets-Sheet l2 FIG.27

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CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1950 19 Sheets-Sheet 13 FIG. 29

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CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 25, 1950 19 Sheets-Sheet 14 FIG, 34

FIG.37

PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN Dec. 13, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE l9 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed Dec. 23, 1950 INVENTORSF PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT 5. HEDIN CHARLES ".SWANSON HENRY E. WISSHAN IT'TORNEY 'IIlllIll U Dec. 13, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE l9 Sheets-Sheet 16 Filed Dec. 23, 1950 l/V VE/VTORS."

PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN BY nrmmn 3, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING.MACHINE 19 Sheets-Sheet 17 Filed Dec. 23, 1950 FIG. 45

ail a r V b INVENTORSI' PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON HENRY E. WISSMAN BYMWfltf/M ATTWHVEY Dec. 13, 1955 P. E, FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE l9 Sheets-Sheet 18 Filed Dec. 23. 1950 FIG.48

FIG. 49

INVENTORS.

PAUL E. FISCHER ROBERT S. HEDIN CHARLES H. SWANSON ATTORNEY 1386- 3, 1955 P. E. FISCHER ETAL CARTON CLOSING MACHINE l9 Sheets-Sheet 19 Filed Dec. 23, 1950 INVENTORS.

N mm HE GH 8 AS I w W S F S .T EH l- B s Y OHR M R United States Patent CARTON CLOSING MACHINE Paul E. Fischer, Minneapolis, Robert S. Hedin, St. Paul,

Charles H. Swanson, Minneapolis, and Henry E. Wissman, St. Paul, Minn., assignors to General Mills, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application December 23, 1950, Serial No. 206,464

36 Claims. (Cl. 53-149) The present invention realtes to improvements in automatic machinery which closes and seals the tops of filled containers.

More specifically the machine embodying the invention receives and closes cartons which have previously been formed either by hand or by other automatic machinery and then filled. The cartons are received, and through a series of specific folding operations performed upon the portion of the carton extending above the side walls, the tops are folded over the contents to close the carton. The carton material is provided with thermoplastic adhesive, and heat and cooling are applied at specific times during the folding operations to obtain an integral seal between the folding elements, and an air-tight package fully protecting the contents is achieved. The invention is especially adapted to folding a carton formed of laminations including metallic foil having a thermoplastic adhesive coating for sealing. The mechanism is unique in that the closure is formed by folding the opposing top closure panels into overlapping relationship over the carton end to form the closure rather than folding them to a face-toface relationship as is the more usual custom with the type of carton where the contents give no support to the underside of the closure. A tight overlapping closure is not difficult in forming the bottom of the carton, as there, a support may be provided from inside the carton. In a carton such as one comprising laminations including metallic foil, the lower layer of the overlapping fold has little resistance when the upper layer is pressed over it, has a tendency to remain depressed and will not resiliently spring up against the upper layer to aid in obtaining a firm contact between materials. Also thermoplastic adhesive when softened does not have the characteristic of being as sticky as other adhesives. Therefore in order to achieve an integral seal between overlapped layers of carton material it has heretofore been necessary to apply pressure to both sides of the material until the thermoplastic adhesive sets or hardens. In the formation of an overlap type top closure on a carton filled with liquid, powdered, granulated, or other non-solid material, no resistance is offered beneath the overlapping closure, and since the inside of the carton is inaccessible without doing damage to the carton, it is impractical to apply a pressure to the underside of the closure. Also, while light gauge metallic foil affords the advantage of being impermeable. to moisture, at an economical cost, it is relatively soft and easily wrinkled and torn making high speed automatic folding operations extremely difiicult to practice.

An object of this present invention is, therefore, the accomplishment of the formation of an impervious integral seal of maximum tightness of the type wherein the opposing closure panels at the top of the carton are formed of a pliable, soft type of material such as metallic foil coated with a thermoplastic adhesive, and the closure panels are brought into overlapping relationship and sealed 2,726,499 PatentedDec. 13, 1955 2 in that position without the aid of means for supporting the underside of the overlapped closure. I

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic closing machine which will capably handle and rapidly and successfully close a series of cartons made of metallic foil faced with an adhesive without in any way tearing, wrinkling, or damaging the soft pliable foil material while accomplishing tight, precise, uniform folds.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which will receive lined carbons having connected top closure panels extending from the side walls, having a single cover fiap formedin the outer layer by vertical slits at the edges of one closure panel and having thermoplastic coating on the closure panels and which Will seal the carton by adding heat to the thermoplastic adhesive to soften the adhesive, folding the liner closure panel against the cover flap over the carton top, spreading the adjoining closure panels laterally outward to form triangular fiaps thereby drawing the closure panel opposite the cover flap over the carton, heat sealing the overlapping panels, folding the triangular flaps over the carton and folding and sealing the cover flap over the folded closure elements.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will appear in the specification taken in connection with the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of the carton closure machine showing the closing stations of the turret numbered I through VII;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a carton whichis closed by the mechanism illustrated;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the driving mechanisms for indexing the turret through its folding station and for driving mechanism for operating the various elements for closing the container top;

Fig. 4 is a, perspective view of the mechanism which inserts the filled unclosed carton into the turret pocket at Station I;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of mechanism of Station II;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the mechanism of Station II taken from the side from which the carton enters the station;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the mechanism of Station II taken from the side from which the carton moves away from the station;

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of a nism of Station II;

Fig. 10 is a detailed view of Fig. 7 having portions removed for clarity;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the top closing mechanism of Station III;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the top folding elements which are mounted at the top of the tower at Station III; 7 I

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the relative position of the spreader fingers as they enter the mouth of the carton;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary plan view showing the position of the spreader fingers in the mouth of the carton;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the folding action of the fingers as they spread;

Fig. 16 is a side elevation of the mechanism for creasing the back closure panel and folding it over the carton top;

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary side elevation of the mechanism of Fig. 16, illustrating the creasing action;

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the carton showing the condition of the closure panels after the operations of Station III have been completed;

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the carton closing mechanism of Station IV having .parts broken away for clarity;

portion of the mecha- 

